A Deepened Scar
by Viola Ophiuchus
Summary: Jaffar is assumed to be emotionless, and loyal to the Black Fangs. But when a girl with a bittersweet life enters his own, his mind and heart slowly changes, and the scars he owned were not only healed, but deepened as well. JaffarxNino
1. Chapter 1: Genesis

**A Deepened Scar**

By Viola Ophiuchus

* * *

**Summary: **Jaffar is assumed to be emotionless, and loyal to the Black Fangs. But when a girl with a bittersweet life enters his own, his mind and heart slowly changes, and the scars he owned were not only healed, but deepened as well.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fire Emblem, nor its characters. I do not own Leonard Cohen's quotes.

* * *

Children show scars like medals. Lovers use them as secrets to reveal. A scar is what happens when the word is made flesh.

-Leonard Cohen

* * *

Jaffar gritted his teeth, grasping his right arm. The assassin that day had not gone according to plan, or rather, his "perfect" assassination. Furthermore, it was annoying since he kept on asking himself what a perfect assassination was. Sonia kept on demanding more and more of his services, each mission being difficult than the one before.

He had killed knights, mages, swordsmen, pirates, mercenaries, and other assassins. Even the most valiant of the men had fallen before his crimson eyes. Jaffar had grown accustomed to the killing, and each death became less and less meaningful in his life.

He noticed drops of blood running down from his arm. Jaffar swore under his breath, desperately retying a ripped piece of his cape around his wound. One of the target's friends had stabbed him with his dagger anointed with white powder, most likely a dried form of a neurotoxin. He was already feeling the effects of the poison: his right arm was getting numb by the minute.

The target was a man in the name of Myzerh Bain. He was formally a member of the Black Fang, however, had committed treason, and ran away to form a secret organization that opposed the Black Fang. Sonia was obviously displeased about Myzerh, and had sent Jaffar to finish off the man. However, Sonia had failed to inform him many things.

Firstly, she had never informed him that there was a rainstorm to come when he arrived in the small town of Kulios. Myzerh was apparently not fond of rain, for Jaffar had to wait nearly a week until he appeared in the motel which was to be the place of the kill. Secondly, Sonia didn't inform him that Myzerh had at least ten other men with him in the motel. Jaffar had been trained in the past to expect the unexpected, yet when the ten men were all high-class knights, even he had a hard fight to put up with.

Lastly, Myzerh didn't have the copy of a book that Sonia had wished for. It was apparently an important book, in which Sonia had desired above anything else. What it was, Jaffar himself did not know, for she had refused to say anything about it, yet kept on reminding him to retrieve it, for it was in the wrong hands.

Jaffar spent at least two hours searching the room with eleven corpses. He searched from Myzerh's pockets to the trunk under the bed, yet there was no book. He had spent two grueling hours looking for the book, ignoring the throbbing pain in his right arm. Assassins were supposed to kill people, not look for books. It was clearly stated in the dictionaries that an assassin is one that murders by surprise.

Jaffar shook his head, feeling lightheaded. He wasn't supposed to pass out, even if it was in the middle of the night, where the town of Kulios was fast asleep. There were to be too many sacrifices made if he were to be caught.

The pain had not been a great factor; Jaffar was used to pain. He had a high pain tolerance that surprised even his master. However, even the greatest of the men fell when they lost enough blood, and Jaffar felt that he was about to fall when he took a glance at his arm.

He had quickly dressed the wound with a piece of his cape, yet it quickly soaked the cloth, and proceeded to bleed even more profusely. Jaffar had gotten hurt in assassinations before, and had come face to face with Death a couple of times, yet never in his entire life did he feel that he was about to die. Today, he did.

Dragging his heavier-than-usual body, he managed to find a small alley between the few buildings of Kulios. Slumping onto the ground almost immediately from exhaustion, Jaffar sighed, looking up at the pitch-black sky. He counted a few stars, traced a few constellations, and felt his eyes closing. Sleep was trying to overcome him, yet he wasn't about to give in lightly.

Jaffar had never been much of a heavy sleeper. He wasn't allowed to, in the first place. Assassins were supposed to be alert at all times, even at times of sleep. Even before his training, Jaffar had been a light sleeper. Which was probably why he had the potential to be an assassin.

However, this time, he felt like he was about to lose a battle. Closing his tired eyes, Jaffar slowly drifted off into a slumber, one he hadn't had in a long, long time.

* * *

Jaffar groaned, shaking his head as he woke up. There must have been a rainfall during his sleep, for his scarlet hair and his rather dusty clothing were soaked. There were even small drops of rain falling down for the sky, damping his already wet hair. He growled in annoyance, running a hand through his hair. Jaffar had nothing against the rain, but now he vaguely understood why Myzerh Bain hated the rain.

Myzerh had explained to him why he hated the rain. "'_Tis not fair for the ones who desperately try to hang on life, with so many hardships in the past. Those like us deserve to be pitied by the others, and most especially by the world. But the world instead cries in self-pity_."

Jaffar wondered how the world could cry when it had so much. He being the so-called emotionless Angel of Death, it wasn't possible for him to understand. Was the world sad? Was it angry? What was it that fueled the world to cry?

Before Jaffar slashed Myzerh's open heart with his killing blades, Myzerh smiled at him insanely, repeating over and over that he was the Angel of Death. Even the emotionless Jaffar had gotten annoyed, and killed him within seconds. So even he wasn't completely emotionless.

He smirked, carefully lifting his right arm to inspect. The numbness had yielded, and he felt much better than the night before. The deep gash was still present in his arm, yet the bleeding had stopped, and all Jaffar had was a useless right arm caked with dry blood. Jaffar had been stabbed, sliced, and slashed before, yet this wound was one of the first wounds that had really hurt.

Killing people had made him immune to the bloodshed and a little bit of the pain when he received wounds. Yet the wound hurt this time, probably because the dagger was dug deep into his flesh. Jaffar had a hard time trying to pull the dagger out of his skin.

Sighing, he retied the cloth around his arm and pulled out a map from his pouch. It was a map of the entire country that Sonia had given him prior to his trip, and he carefully studied the map.

Kulios wasn't exactly too far from the Water Temple, where Sonia expected him. He had gotten to Kulios by walking, yet he knew that he wouldn't be able to walk the distance with his weak state. Jaffar decided to steal a horse from a nearby barn to make his return.

Hobbling slightly, Jaffar carefully made his way to the barn. Crinkling his nose from the stench of the animals, he chose randomly a horse that appeared swift. It was a large black stallion, standing more than sixteen hands high, with a bushy mane. A nametag between his stall read "Angel of Death", and Jaffar's mouth curved into a smirk as he lead the horse out of the stall.

Putting the saddle and bridle on the horse, he quickly mounted the horse and kicked him to start a fast gallop. Indeed, Angel of Death was a fast horse. Jaffar calculated quickly that in the rate Angel of Death was galloping in, he would reach the Water Temple in less than half a day.

"...Your name...is the Angel of Death?" he whispered to the ebon horse. The horse, of course, could not understand, but Jaffar continued to talk. He never talked much, perhaps he was in a delirium to be talking to a horse. "That...is my name...as well..."

Angel of Death continued to gallop at a steady pace, and Jaffar stared at the scenery around him, changing swiftly. They had entered a small desert on their way to the Water Temple, and Jaffar reminisced about the days where he spent in the desert. The scenery changed very faintly now, and the wind was getting dustier by the second.

He had trained in the desert after entering the Black Fang. Jaffar remembered that the first things he was given from his master was the gray facemask to hide his face, and two blades to be used to kill people. He was angry at how he had to hide his face while killing people. Young Jaffar was ignorant to the consequences assassins had to face when caught at that time. He knew much about the world, yet didn't want to be like a low member of a wolf pack with its tail behind its feet.

So the young Jaffar, with his newly received killing blades, had cut open the facemask to reveal his face. His master didn't say anything, and Jaffar was pleased with how his mask revealed his face, yet nonetheless kept his messy scarlet hair out of his eyes. It proved useful while assassinating people.

His master also gave him a long brown cape to wear. It was made out of thick material, able to block out both the sun's harsh rays, and the winter's snow. Jaffar still had the cape and the facemask. They were things that made him remember his master, who he had killed only a few years ago.

Pulling on the reins of the horse, Jaffar abruptly stopped the horse in the town of Armatole, which was the town halfway to the Water Temple. Armatole was a town known for its clean, fresh water, which Jaffar had to agree that both he and the horse needed.

Jaffar walked over to a fountain which appeared to be the main source of water in the town. Using his hands to scoop up the water, he drank with a great force, forgetting the trainings of an assassin to be alert at all times. He hadn't drunk water since yesterday's assassinations took place.

Taking a glance, he noticed that the horse was drinking the water greedily as well. Angel of Death had slobbered all over the fountain, made of marble, and Jaffar sighed as he pulled the horse away from the supply of water. The water, which had been completely transparent before they had arrived, had horse saliva mixed in with it.

Jaffar shielded his eyes as he took a glance at the sun. Judging by the position of the sun, Jaffar estimated that it was about noon, and that it would take another five hours to reach the Water Temple. Before mounting the horse, Jaffar filled his canteen with the water and splashed some on his wound. Grimacing slightly at the pain, he mounted Angel of Death and started his journey once more.

* * *

"Sonia, please stop pacing," Brendan Reed sighed, putting his book down. "You've been doing it all day."

Sonia, whose usually tidy black hair, was all over the place, the outcome of her not taking the time to brush it. Her usual revealing attire sat forgotten in her room, and instead she wore a plain black nightdress. Dark eyes were wide open with anger as she paced back and forth, giving her husband a glare that could kill.

"Jaffar's late! He's never been late!" she yelled in a shrill voice, throwing her goblet down onto the marble floor of the Water Temple. The rich wine that filled the goblet spilled onto the cold, white floor, and seeped into a small crack.

"He's probably late because of the rainstorm, dear. No need to worry." Brendan desperately tried to calm down his erratic wife, who continued to pace. He lazily drank from his goblet, savoring the taste of the wine from Bern.

"No need to worry?! _What_ are you thinking?!" she shrieked, throwing a slipper at him. It barely missed Brendan's face, and he shuddered in fear. "That stupid book has _everything_, Brendan! _Everything_! If she were to find out, what will we do?!"

"She can't read, remember? She'll just think it's one of your spell books," Brendan suggested, paying attention more to his book than to his wife's temper. He was used to her sudden outbursts, especially when she couldn't have something that she wanted.

"What if she gets someone to read it for her? Like her _step_-brothers?" Sonia snarled, emphasizing the word "step".

"I'll tell Linus and Lloyd about the book tonight, dear," Brendan replied. He smiled at his wife, who seemed to be calming down.

"Tell the brothers now, love. You know they say that the early bird gets the worm," Sonia smiled, twirling a lock of her black hair. "Jaffar will come home anytime soon, and I can't risk him telling Nino about the book."

Brendan held his hands up high, his voice getting louder. "Jaffar never speaks! He's always brooding, sulking, and killing!" he shouted angrily, throwing his book onto the floor. "All he's good for is assassinating people!"

"It's your fault you couldn't find a better assassin that Jaffar," Sonia pointed out. "Anyway, he's good at his job, and that's all we need for the Black Fang."

"I don't like him...who knows, maybe he's after the position of the Four Fangs."

"Give it to him. He deserves it, after all the countless lives he's taken," Sonia laughed, walking over to Brendan, putting her pale arm on his thigh. "He's just a ruthless murderer, nothing more. Besides, he's just a replaceable mortal. We can dispose of him when we feel he's a threat."

"When he's a threat, I'll have Linus and Lloyd hack his head off." Brendan insisted confidently, putting his hand over hers. "My sons can do it in less than five minutes, I assure you."

"I know, I know," Sonia replied, somewhat disgusted with Brendan's confidence. She never liked the Reed Brothers as much as she liked Jaffar. She had only married Brendan Reed to control his strings from the shadow. Although a strong man, Brendan lacked the intelligence and leadership, and Sonia was easily able to control his every moves.

Sonia was about to ask Brendan to let someone finish Uhai off in the Dread Isle, so that he would never come back to the Water Temple. Uhai was a nuisance: he only took orders from Brendan Reed, and him alone. His loyalty never faltered towards her master, and it was what annoyed Sonia. However, her request was cut off short when a woman of short blue hair entered the chamber.

"Ma'am, I have received word from the messenger that Jaffar will be arriving shortly. He has had some trouble in his assassin due to the unexpected rainfall the past week," the woman announced, bowing low. Sonia beckoned for her to come forward, which she did.

The woman had short blue hair, cropped short in the back. Her tan cloak swayed as she walked towards Sonia, her brown boots making a loud tapping sound against the marble floor. Sonia generally didn't like beautiful women. It made her think that she needed to become even more beautiful in order to surpass them. Yet this woman, dubbed Ursula, was a beautiful woman. It was probably because she had a tarnished heart that was used only to please Sonia.

"Ah, Ursula, good work," Sonia said, pleased. The book would be arriving in her hands soon, and she could erase the ugly thing from her perfect organization. "Tell him to come straight to the Temple after he arrives. Make sure no one gets in the way," she instructed, dismissing Ursula with a wave of her hand.

"Yes, ma'am. Your word is my command," Ursula bowed again before leaving the room, filling the spacious chamber with the smell of lilies.

Turning around to face her husband, Sonia smiled. "Ursula is a fine woman, don't you think? She has mastered magic, and is quite intelligent. Very loyal, I must say. And quite cunning. Why, I believe she has all the qualities needed to become one of the Four Fangs along with your sons, don't you think?"

"Indeed," was all Brendan said. The wine from Bern was strong, and had made him feel quite woozy.

"When Uhai falls, you won't mind if I promote Ursula, would you?" Sonia hinted, hoping for her husband's approval. Brendan wasn't strong against alcohol, and all she needed was to instruct one of her maids to bring the strongest wine in the country.

"Of course, love."

Sonia laughed inside, amused at how easily she could control her husband. He was nothing but a fool, and one day, she would be able to control the Black Fang by herself, along with Master Nergal.

One day, the day would come, and all she needed was to destroy the book that Jaffar would bring her.

* * *

"_Damn it, stupid horse. Run faster." _

Jaffar mentally cursed Angel of Death as he kicked the horse to increase his speed. The horse's pace had gotten slower when they left the city of Armatole, and the last thing he needed was to be another day late for his assignment. He never failed, yet this mission was coming close to become a failure.

The heat wasn't so bad, although he had a hard time breathing. The cool water from Armatole seemed unreal, and that was the reason why the horse wouldn't gallop as fast as he did in the city of Kulios.

"Horse, run faster," Jaffar commanded, feeling stupid for commanding a horse. He was getting annoyed at how the horse was galloping slower, and he felt that even he could run faster.

Angel of Death neighed in what sounded like anger, and Jaffar's scarlet eyes widened as the horse began bucking. Desperately holding onto the reins to prevent himself from falling off the tall horse, Jaffar swore mentally.

"_Stupid, stupid horse!_"

Wincing at the pain of his right arm, Jaffar held onto the reins only with his left arm, which was hard, since Angel of Death was a stronger stallion than Jaffar had anticipated. He had some experience in horseback riding, although his skill was not comparable to those of the nomads. He had learned how to ride horses naturally, which was one of the fastest transportation methods while moving from town to town.

"Stop bucking!" Jaffar shouted, his voice ever so scratchy. He hadn't shouted in a long time. However, Jaffar felt stupid once again. Horses wouldn't understand him, would they?

Angel of Death started bucking even wilder, leaving Jaffar no choice but to hold onto the reins with both hands. Ignoring the swelling pain in his arm, he held onto the leather reins. He mused to himself that it proved to be a good idea to wear his gloves for this mission, since his gloves prevented the leather reins from cutting into his hands.

Jaffar's eyes widened in horror as his right arm started bleeding once again, due to the pressure. It hurt, and the stupid horse continued to buck him. "Dammit, horse, stop it!" he cried, flinging his canteen at the horse. The force opened the lid of the canteen and spilled the water over Angel of Death's face, and the horse stopped bucking and drank the spilled water with pleasure.

"Stupid horse...I should've taken the horse next to your stall..." Jaffar whispered, grasping his right arm. The bleeding wasn't profuse as yesterday, but it still hurt. Drops of blood fell onto the saddle and onto the road, leaving a stain. He ripped another piece of his cloak and tied his wound, which already had several layers of cloth bandaging it.

Angel of Death had an apologetic look on his face as he started to trot once again, somewhat happier since he had the water to replenish himself.

"_If I had known that you wanted water, I'd given it to you a long time ago, horse."_

Jaffar thought silently as he maneuvered the horse with only his left hand. Taking a quick glance at the sun, he estimated that three hours had gone by since they left the city of Armatole. In just a few hours, they would reach the Water Temple, and he would be able to get a good night's rest which he hadn't had in a long while.

"_Just a few more hours..."_

* * *

A/N: How'd you like the first chapter of **A Deepened Scar**? It's going to be a JaffarxNino story, although it's mostly Jaffar centered. I hope that it would be around 20 chapters, and it's a story set before the Fire Emblem game starts. So there won't be Eliwood, Lyn, and the rest of the part in this story. I hope to update this story soon, since I had a really great time writing this story. Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters! xD


	2. Chapter 2: Catching a Goblet

**Chapter 2**

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He who angers you conquers you 

_-Elizabeth Kenny_

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__

When Jaffar reached the Water Temple, it had taken around two hours as he estimated. It had taken him longer than he wanted, and he felt that he needed a good night's rest for all the trouble that he had gone through.

First, Angel of Death decided to buck him again, and this time, Jaffar fell off the horse onto the asphalt ground. He unfortunately had landed on his weak arm, and he had cursed more than he ever had in his entire life, although it was said inside his mind. The horse wouldn't listen to him afterwards, so Jaffar had to stop at the small town of Soldiago to let the horse drink his supply of water.

Second, in the city of Soldiago, a bounty hunter had spotted him, and Jaffar had ridden a horse like he had never had in his entire life. Although he had been regretting that he got the stubborn horse from the barn in Kulios, Jaffar was grateful that he had chosen a fast horse. And he swore that he rode Angel of Death with a skill that matched those of a nomad's.

He had lost the bounty hunter about ten minutes into the chase, and took extra caution to not be spotted once again. Ever since he had earned the title, "Angel of Death", bounty hunters were interested on the hefty bounty on his head, and popped up in town once in a while.

Jaffar had to admit, he was being careless with his disguise. He had not taken the caution of wearing the hood that was attached to his cape, since it was blazing outside. With only his gray mask to hide his face, he became an easy target to the bounty hunters. Ursula, a fellow member of the Black Fangs, would chastise him for being so careless.

Why he had been so careless, Jaffar didn't quite understand himself. He usually took the most precaution out of everyone in the Black Fangs, even more than Sonia herself. He was like a shadow: lone, dark, and quiet. He was supposed to be always prepared, always ready to strike, and always successful.

Emotionless as he supposed to be was, recently, Jaffar noticed that he was becoming careless with everything he did. He longed to be like Linus and Lloyd, the Reed Brothers. They were loud, brash, and although skilled swordsmen, they both could easily fall to an unexpected happening. They seemed happy, even if they were part of the organization. Jaffar guessed that it was alcohol that fueled their happiness. The Reed Brothers could both be found in the local tavern drowned in alcohol.

Pulling Angel of Death to a halt, Jaffar leapt gracefully off of the horse and grabbed firmly onto the reins with his left hand. As he led the horse to the stables near the Temple, he was stopped by a messenger of Sonia. Jaffar immediately recognized the messenger, for she bore the symbol of Sonia on the sleeve of her cloak.

"Madame Sonia requires your presence immediately, sir," the messenger told him quietly. "It would be best if you go up there quickly, for the Madame is not in a good mood, sir."

He nodded, letting go of the reins. The service in the organization was so meticulous. All messengers were required to go through a strenuous training before they are allowed to be used by the members of the organization. The messenger standing before him must be of the highest rank, being Sonia's favorite.

"...Take care of the horse..." he said, lifting his head slightly to acknowledge the large ebon horse. The messenger nodded obediently, whispering "I will, sir," before taking the reins and leading the horse towards the stables. Angel of Death gave him a last glance before being led to the stables.

Jaffar climbed up the twisting stairs that led up to Brendan and Sonia's chamber. It was an exhausting walk from the bottom to the top, leaving him to breathe heavily as soon as he finished climbing up the stairs. No doubt Sonia would taunt him about being so careless and out of breath, so Jaffar waited a few seconds before opening the large door which was the entrance to the dark chamber inside.

* * *

"Mother, are you alright? You've been pacing all day!" a small girl asked, her voice strained with concern. "Shouldn't you rest?"

"Be quiet Nino," Sonia ordered, biting her tongue. She had been expecting Jaffar to arrive earlier, since that was what Ursula had told her. Yet it had been at least an hour since Ursula visited her chamber. And still no Jaffar.

"But Mother..." Nino began, looking at Sonia with her big, blue eyes.

"SHUT UP!" Sonia screamed, throwing a cushion that she had been carrying by her chest. It missed Nino, for Sonia's aim had faltered due to her anxiousness and anger.

"Ah...I'm sorry, Mother," Nino apologized, sulking in a chair embedded with jewels.

Sonia continued to pace around the room, occasionally taking sips from her goblet. At usual days, she would get one of her servants to pour the wine for her, yet today, she poured her own wine. It kept her mind off of Jaffar and the book he was supposed to have.

"_The book...I must have the book..."_ The thought of the book kept on lingering in her mind, and she was getting annoyed by the minute. She had hired Jaffar because he was flawless at his job, yet today, he was close to failing it.

Sonia took a swig from her goblet, gulping down the fine wine as if it was water. She usually savored wine, while her husband preferred such things as ale. However, she was in no mood to savor the expensive wine.

Taking a glance at what her mother was doing, Nino gasped, covering her mouth with a small hand. "Mother! You shouldn't be drinking like that!"

Sonia was about to yell at her and throw the goblet at her daughter, when the wooden doors suddenly made a loud creaking noise, and the tall assassin, wearing his usual attire that fitted him best, walked into the chamber, scarlet eyes focused directly onto Sonia. Her lips, stained slightly from the wine, broke into a winning smile as she beckoned him to come closer.

"Ah, Jaffar! I've waited so long for your arrival, my dear assassin!" Sonia exclaimed, her voice more high-pitched than usual. Her foul mood was instantly uplifted at the sight of the assassin coming into the room. "What has taken you so long?"

Jaffar hesitated a second before replying to Sonia. He would of explained all the factors that had made him almost a week late (part of which was Sonia's fault), yet he didn't want to experience the full fury of the feared "leader" of the Black Fang.

"...The rain..." he answered quietly, bending down on one knee. Jaffar found this trivial, for he felt no need to think of Sonia as his master; his leader. He was being used, and materials did not have to worship their owners.

"Ah, the rain...I didn't have Master Nergal train you to become an assassin that didn't like rain, Jaffar," she said disapprovingly. Sonia made a "tsk tsk" sound with her tongue, taking a drink from her goblet. "So tell me...who _did_ you kill?"

Jaffar paused for a second, thinking over the question. He had killed Myzerh Bain and his ten soldiers. If Sonia had sent him to kill Myzerh, why would she be asking that question? Unless, Sonia knew about the ten soldiers that had accompanied Myzerh Bain, she wouldn't be asking the question, would she?

"I killed...Myzerh Bain and his guardians..."

"So you were able to deal with ten of his high-class soldiers?" she asked, smirking. "I had known about his guardians, Jaffar. I didn't tell you, since I felt that you needed a little training...nothing personal, mind you. It's just that," she paused, twirling a lock of her wiry black hair. "We can't have any failures in the Black Fang. We must succeed."

Jaffar remained silent, looking down at the marble floor. There was a crack in the smooth floor, and it was stained with a red liquid, most likely wine. He found a goblet lying nearby, and could only guess that Sonia had another temper tantrum and threw the goblet of wine onto the floor. It was nothing new.

"Jaffar?" she asked, making his burgundy eyes focus on Sonia once more. However, his eyes left Sonia to gaze at a young girl who sat in the back of the room. She sported medium length emerald hair, which was kept in place with a blue headband. The girl, who seemed no younger than thirteen, was dressed in a simple blue shirt, which she wore over a white dress. Her purple cloak was neatly folded on her lap, and sky blue eyes were focused on his own eyes. Jaffar mused how innocent and pure her eyes looked.

"Jaffar? Are you listening?" Sonia asked again, annoyance mixed in with her words. Unlike the girl in the back, Sonia dressed very extravagantly, and wore very revealing dresses. Jaffar noticed that instead of her tight, black dresses, Sonia wore a simple black nightgown, although revealing much. Sonia was much older than he was, but her style was much younger than his.

He nodded, focusing his eyes again. He mumbled a quick apology before letting Sonia continue with her interrogation.

"So...you have beaten Myzerh Bain and his ten knights, haven't you?" Sonia asked, resting herself on a scarlet couch. She moved her left leg above her right, almost revealing her undergarments. Jaffar looked away, not interested in her tactics that worked for Brendan Reed.

"Jaffar...tell me that you have the book with you..." she said coyly, taking a sip from her goblet. Golden eyes were now focused on Jaffar, who continued to bow down and stare at the marble floor. "That was one of the jobs I assigned you..."

Jaffar once again hesitated before replying to Sonia. Her golden eyes had already somewhat widened with fury at his silence, and he predicted that he would be in great trouble for not finding the book. Gulping, he shook his head, answering in his scratchy voice,

"No."

Just as he had suspected, Sonia's golden eyes widened with fury, giving him a glare that could kill. For a second, even Sonia lost words. She was confused, for the Angel of Death had never failed her before. Yet this time...

"_**What** did you say?_" she hissed, tightening her grip around the goblet. Her entire body shook, and the wine inside the goblet made small ripples. Sonia heard her daughter saying something in the back, and Jaffar staring back at her with no emotion whatsoever, still bending down.

"I said no," he replied, scarlet eyes meeting golden ones. One couldn't tell whose eyes were more fearful: Jaffar's, without a trace of emotion, or Sonia's, full of fury. Even Nino, who sat in the back, could tell that the war raging between the assassin and the leader was going to get ugly.

"You failed me, Jaffar?" Sonia whispered, glaring at him. She stood up, raising her goblet to her lips to try and get another sip to calm her down, yet all nerves in her body seemed to resist her. All she could do was stare at the failing assassin who bowed before her. Anger had seized her.

Golden eyes were wide, anger written all over Sonia's snarling face. Black hair fell limply down her shoulder as her gaze continued to pierce the assassin. How could he fail? This was his most important mission...to retrieve the book...

Sonia took a sip of wine, this time savoring the bitter taste of the wine from Bern. She must have left it out in the air for too long, for the sweetness had diminished. Ignoring the looks given to her by her daughter, Sonia continued to drink the wine until there was nothing left in the goblet. Walking over to the coffee table, she poured herself another cup of wine, making sure that the blood red wine filled the goblet.

"How could you fail me, Jaffar?" She asked, bringing the goblet to her lips, where she took a small sip. It was much bitter than the last sip. "I told you to bring back the book...Master Nergal raised a failure...I cannot believe it..." she muttered, laughing slightly. "Master Nergal raised a failure..."

"My Angel of Death is a failure, Master Nergal...My Angel of Death, who I made with so much hard work, is a failure...how could it be?" Sonia continued to mumble incoherent things, clutching her goblet.

"Mother, are you okay? Mother?" Nino asked from the back, running over to her mother, who stared at Jaffar with disbelief in her eyes. "Mother, calm down, please!" Nino cried, covering her mother's shoulders with her purple cape.

"_FOOL_!" Sonia shouted, throwing the full goblet at Jaffar. The goblet, which seemed dancing in the air, spilt some of its contents onto the marble floor, the bloody wine splashing onto the cold floor. The goblet headed for Jaffar's right, which he attempted to catch with his right arm. However, as soon as his fingers grabbed the stem of the goblet, pain rushed through his arm, sending a signal to his brain that his arm wasn't going to be able to stand the weight of the goblet.

The goblet, still containing some wine, made a loud sound as it fell onto the hard floor, breaking into pieces. The wine made a sound like rain as it dropped onto the marble like blood. Wine that stained Jaffar's cape also fell onto the ground with a tapping sound, and Nino's gasps were heard in the background.

Jaffar, although supposedly emotionless, stared at his right arm with disbelief. Scarlet eyes were wider than usual as he stared at his arm, which was now soaked with both wine and blood. Was the wound on his right arm so deep that he wasn't able to catch a single goblet?

"Pathetic fool! You can't even catch a goblet, idiot!" Sonia spat out, walking over to him. Jaffar held his right arm with his left one, ignoring the blood that had began to seep out of his wound. Although Jaffar had assumed it was healed, it had not completely healed. Slumping against a marble pillar behind him, Jaffar applied pressure to his arm to make it stop bleeding.

Sonia bent down, taking a look at his wound. With her long nails, painted black, she ripped off his sleeve, exposing his wound to the atmosphere. Jaffar's arm, which had been caked with blood just a few hours ago, was now bleeding once again. The gash itself was quite long, and deep. It was a sight that would have had men cringe in disgust, let alone a woman. However, Sonia looked at it with pure amazement.

"You failed to defend yourselves against the knights, I see..." she laughed slightly, pointing at Jaffar's arm. "You **are** a failure, Jaffar. I see now."

Before Jaffar could pull his arm away from Sonia, she stepped on it with her very strength, making the blood flow with a greater power. If Sonia hadn't stared at Jaffar's face for the entire ordeal, she would have missed the second he winced at the pain. Nino had missed it, and was continuing to gasp at the sight of blood.

"Oh Mother! H-he's bleeding!" she gasped, taking a step back.

"He's bleeding for the crime he committed, Nino...for not getting my book back..." Sonia whispered, releasing her leg off of Jaffar's arm. Lifting his bloody arm with her hand, she showed it to Nino, who cringed at the sight. "Look at his hand, daughter. Look at his filthy hands, tainted with the blood of the innocent...he deserves this..." she laughed, throwing his arm back to the ground.

Nino stared at Jaffar for a second, looking at his arm that her mother called "tainted". On the contrary though, Jaffar had very elegant hands, like an aristocrat. Each finger was long and slender, and his hand, although thin, seemed very strong. His hands were nothing like Linus', who had hands full of cuts and nicks, or Lloyd's, whose hands were fat and stubby.

Sonia threw her blood stained slipper near her couch, sighing as she sat back onto her couch.

Sonia poured herself another glass of wine, this time in a new goblet. "He's in pain for failure, Nino..." she said in a singsong voice, smiling at Jaffar. "It's a suitable punishment for a failure, don't you agree?"

Jaffar realized that this question was pointed towards him, and he nodded weakly. He was feeling lightheaded again, due to the loss of the blood. Emotionless as he was, he was angry at how Sonia treated him. He was angry at himself for not being able to catch the goblet. He was angry at this entire mission; at Myzerh Bain, the ten knights, Angel of Death, Sonia, and himself.

Sonia suddenly threw the goblet at him once again, and if not for his long years of training, Jaffar would have had the goblet hit his face. Using his somewhat numb right arm, he swiftly caught the goblet a few centimeters before it hit his face. He heard Sonia applauding him, lying lazily on the couch.

"Well done, Angel of Death...you do not fail me two times..."

Jaffar felt nauseous as he put the goblet down onto the floor. Standing up, he bowed lowly once to Sonia, and to Nino, who stared at him with a mixture of horror and admiration. Blue eyes were focused entirely on him, and Jaffar took a glance at her. Immediately, the blue eyes shifted towards the ground, and he mused how she was still a child. Or was she?

Nino was still a child, but a child that was a mask for an adult to hide inside. Jaffar could see it, inside her eyes. Training had taught him to use his eyes to describe people, to find if they were traitors and liars. This training allowed Jaffar to see describe Nino is a way, although he hardly proved the skill useful.

With his sharp eyes, Jaffar caught Nino staring at him, once again. This time, he didn't look back at her, and while he left the chamber, he could see her gentle eyes looking back at his lonely back.

"_She has...pretty eyes..."_

* * *

A/N: What a miracle! I wrote two chapters in one day! –claps- It's really rare for me to be updating a story so fast, so I'm quite surprised myself. It's 1:47 A.M. in the morning now, and I need to get up at seven in the morning, so I'd better go to bed. I'll be updating soon, though!

This chapter was about mostly Jaffar and Sonia. I think I may have portrayed Sonia a bit too erratic, but I had a feeling that she was a person who yelled a lot. The next chapter will be focusing more on Nino. Stay tuned!


	3. Chapter 3: Sadness Flies Away

Chapter 3

* * *

_Sadness flies away on the wings of time._

_-Jean de la Fontaine_

* * *

Nino sighed as she headed back to her room, which was located right in the middle of the halls, between Linus' room, and Ursula's. Lloyd's room was next to Linus' room, and Jaffar's room was next to Ursula's. Naturally, Linus and Lloyd had the biggest rooms due to their father, and Ursula the next. Nino had gone into each room except for Jaffar, and now that she had seen him with a bird's eye view, she was curious to know what kind of person he was.

She had gotten some information out of Linus to tell her about Jaffar. He explained that he was a dark character, who killed many people, including civilians. Of course, Nino knew that some things weren't reliable when they came out of her brothers' mouths. They seem to think that she was still a child, when she was already a fourteen and developed into a young woman.

Lifting her white dress as she went down the stairs, Nino stared at her hands. They were still quite small, and were quite bony, despite the fact that her parents provided her with the best foods of the country. Sonia had promised Nino that she would be able to have a high-ranking job in the Black Fang, and Nino knew that one day, her hands were going to be tainted with blood, just as her mother had said to Jaffar.

"_Look at his filthy hands, tainted with the blood of the innocent._"

Nino was amazed at how different human hands were. While her hands were small and inferior, the hands of her mother lead the entire Black Fang army with one single whiff. The hands of her mother could dismiss the attendants out of a room, or could command an entire army and defeat a force easily. The hands of her mother had probably killed many people, despite the fact that she continued to say that her hands were beautiful.

Purple slippers tapped the marble floors of the castle, echoing throughout the hall. Her warm purple cloak swayed slightly as she took each step. Blue eyes were carefully scanning the area around, making sure that none of the guards caught the sight of her. Nino never liked the knights who were guarding the hallways, for they seemed to gaze endlessly at her.

Nino herself was used to people gazing at her. Ursula had given her a long stare when they first met, which was not quite long ago. Uncle Uhai had given her a long stare when he first acknowledged that she was Sonia's daughter. Her father, Brendan Reed, had given her a long stare when she completed her first mission. Her mother had given her a long stare when she had asked her to teach magic.

Of course, she couldn't forget the eyes she saw for the first time today. The assassin, Jaffar's eyes had pierced her in a way that was unlike the others. He had beautiful eyes, sharp, burgundy eyes. It would have been more beautiful if they weren't so sad, Nino mused to herself as she entered her room.

Closing the door, Nino thought more about what she had said. Jaffar's eyes were sad, were they? She shook her head, putting on a smile to convince herself. Jaffar's eyes shouldn't be sad, for he was emotionless. That's what her mother had told her, and what Mother said was usually right. Uncle Jan had said the same thing, and Nino knew that she could trust Uncle Jan's words.

Nino sighed, jumping on her bed decorated with lavender sheets. A scent of lavender swiftly entered her nose, making her aware that a servant had entered her room earlier in the day. The servants always sprayed her room with a lavender perfume, which she adored. Nino had begged one of them to give her a small bottle of it, which they did. The small vial was on her dresser, standing out because of its vivid lilac hue.

Reaching for the table that was beside her bed, Nino picked up a book that Linus had given her from his last mission. There were letters printed in gold on the cover, which read "_Journal_". Nino had gotten Lloyd to read it for her.

It frustrated her to no end that she couldn't read or write. Her mother refused continuously when Nino had asked her to teach, and neither Linus or Lloyd would teach her how to do so. She had almost successfully gotten Uncle Jan to teach her, but he had left before he got the chance. Nino was sure that Ursula would not teach her, for she was devoted to her mother, and her mother's orders were Ursula's commands.

Nino walked over to her desk, getting out a quill pen from the drawer. Drawing helped her ease her anger at these times, but often times it brought about even more of the anger when she thought about writing words instead of drawing pictures. Before dipping the quill in the ink, Nino turned the pages to see the previous pictures she had drawn.

One the first page, Nino had drawn a picture of a girl with wings. The girl's features had resembled herself that even she was surprised at her artistic abilities. Nino had not meant for the girl to look like her, but she remembered that her hand felt like it was guided not by her mind, but her soul. The girl had great wings on her back, wings that seemed to carry even the heaviest of things, such as sorrow.

It reminded her of a quote Uncle Jan used to tell her when her mother often yelled her after their lessons on magic. Uncle Jan would always wrap his arms around her shoulder, and would comfort her until her tears dried up for the moment. He would always take the time to listen to what she had to say, ignoring his most sacred duties at times.

"_Sadness flies away on the wings of time, Nino."_

Nino would feel extremely selfish when she was with Uncle Jan; he would stay by her side forever, and had promised her that he would serve her through thick and thin. That was a lie, since Uncle Jan left and never came back. Uncle Jan left, Uncle Legault left, and Uncle Uhai left. Nino remembered that she had made each of them to make a promise to her; that they would all come back. She had made them swear by their hearts, and make them link pinkies with her. But they never came back.

Nino laughed to herself, quickly turning the page. She wasn't sad. She wasn't sad.

"_I am not sad. I am not sad." _Nino repeated, trying to convince herself. Shaking her head, blue eyes focused on the page that lay opened.

On the second page, she drew her whole "family", which consisted of her mother, father, Linus, Lloyd, Uncle Jan, Uncle Legault, Uncle Uhai, Ursula, and Jaffar. They all looked very happy, including her mother, who wore a big smile in that picture. Her father had his great big arm wrapped around her mother, who had a beautiful smile. Linus and Lloyd were on the side of her father, who also wore big smiles like they usually had. But in the picture, they weren't giving her mother the glares that they usually gave her. Uncle Jan stood to the side next to Uncle Uhai, both smiling like they always did. Uncle Legault, with his bad left eye, was smiling broadly as well, and even Ursula seemed naturally happy instead of the gloating she usually did after her mother congratulated her. Jaffar was on the very side, giving them a smile that she'd never seen in her entire life.

Nino felt the corners of her mouth curve into a smile. They looked so happy that it looked like a lie. Linus and Lloyd would never give her mother the great smiles that they had in this picture. Her mother would never smile like that. Uncle Legault wouldn't smile if he was with Mother, since he didn't like her. And Jaffar would most certainly never smile like that, because he was an assassin and had no emotions.

Nino knew she would never have such a family.

The happy family that she used to imagine was all a lie, and she knew that. The Black Fang, who used to be in fair control, was collapsing, and Nino could hear the sound of it breaking down. And as much as she didn't want to believe it, Nino knew that it started when her mother married her father, and took control of the Black Fang with an iron hand.

Her thoughts faded away slightly as she put the quill onto the desk. Nino put her arms onto the desk, using them as a pillow for her head. Blue eyes fluttered a few times, taking short glances at the picture before her. With each blink, the picture faded, like it was a dream from the start. The last thing Nino remembered was the lavender scent filling her nose before blue eyes closed completely to fall into a deep slumber.

* * *

"Jaffar, you understand that I'm doing a great favor for you, don't you?" Sonia asked, pausing to take a look at Jaffar's reaction. After noticing that he, as usual, showed no emotion, she continued. "I'm giving you a second chance to become a perfect specimen like Master Nergal and I."

Jaffar bit his tongue and nodded, not bothering to correct the fact that he didn't really want to become a perfect specimen. He highly doubted that they were perfect specimens themselves.

"You're one of the Four Fangs. An injury like that," she paused again, pointing to Jaffar's tightly bandaged arm, "would normally result in me executing you."

Jaffar nodded again. He knew the law the of Fang like the back of his hand, and had wondered she didn't kill him in the Chambers, but he had convinced himself that Sonia cared about her daughter and didn't want to let her see the gruesome sight of a failure being killed.

"You **do** understand that failures are not permitted in the Black Fang, don't you?" She asked, golden eyes meeting scarlet ones. A smirk spread across her face when she saw him nod once again.

Jaffar noticed that Sonia had changed garments since the time he saw her in the chamber an hour ago. Her usual revealing attire was once again present, and her wiry black hair was neatly combed and hung loosely around her shoulders. Golden eyes were focused on him, and they were looking at him hungrily for any emotion.

It was a pity, Jaffar realized, since Sonia was a really pretty woman. If the look in her eyes weren't full of malice and hunger for power, she would really be a beautiful woman. He could understand why Brendan had married her.

"Jaffar?' she said loudly, bring him back to reality. "There are many risks, and I'm not willing to take any of them," she explained hastily. "I _need_ that book, Jaffar."

"I will get it," he murmured, his eyes downcast. Jaffar noticed that his eyes were almost always downcast when he faced Sonia, not because of respect, but so that he wouldn't have to look at her malicious eyes. Her eyes were boring through him, and he could feel it.

"Of course, Jaffar," she said, waving her hand. "If you don't, I'm going to kill you. You know there are plenty of assassins out there I could use."

She smirked, resisting the urge to laugh out loud when Jaffar's eyes slightly widened at the comment. She loved to manipulate people, and she praised herself for being able to control people even Jaffar, who seemed immune to it.

A slender hand moved out towards Jaffar's cheek, and he made no effort to resist the hand. Sonia removed Jaffar's cape, and smirked once again, taking a look at his features. Only she was daring enough to take off his cape and take a look at the assassin's uncovered face. A part of her laughed at his features, as it seemed exactly as she thought. One part of her was taken back, for she never realized how handsome the assassin was.

"You have a decent face, Jaffar," Sonia mused, her hand somewhat stroking his cheek as she pulled it away. He was used to her somewhat bipolar personality: she had been throwing goblets at him an hour ago, and now she was telling him that he had a decent face.

Jaffar noticed that Sonia's fingernails were painted a vivid hue of red. The hue was so dark and rich in color that it resembled blood in his mind. He quietly wondered whether Sonia actually painted her nails with blood.

"It's such a pity you're an assassin..." she continued, a smirk rising on her face. "If you weren't, you would've made a great personal servant..."

A shrill laugh escaped Sonia's mouth, turning her back to Jaffar. "I forgot. You **are** my servant, Jaffar!" She looked over her shoulder, hoping for any emotion on the assassin's face, but when it lacked what she had been looking for, she gave up.

Sonia exited the room, her golden sash making a sound as she left. Her perfume of a spicy scent, filled the room. Outside, Jaffar's trained ears heard the guards bowing down to Sonia, their thick armor making a sound as they hit the marble floor. He knew that the guards only bowed to her out of their law.

He took a glance at his arm, which he bandaged. Ursula, after finding out of his failure, had been bothering him to go to the physician, but he preferred to take care of his own wounds. Being wounded many times in the course of his lifetime, he was used to bandaging his own wounds. His room contained an endless supply of tourniquets anyway.

Jaffar reclined on his bed, which was quite small. His entire body barely fit on it, and the mattress was rather soft. Ursula always told him that he had a bad posture, and it was probably because of the bed. Jaffar didn't mind, though. It had been long since he slept on an actual bed, and he was grateful for it. Even the smallest things, such as sleeping on a bed, made him feel grateful.

He didn't bother to put his cape back on. He ran a hand through his scarlet hair, which the locks were hardened with sweat. Jaffar decided to take a bath later on in the night, wanting to procrastinate for a few hours. The journey had tired him greatly, and he had underestimated the amount of stamina he had used. Talking with Sonia had always made him feel tired as well.

Rolling to his side, he sighed deeply. Jaffar knew that he would always be a servant to the Black Fang, and nothing more. It hadn't occurred to him that he would actually be considering about his existence. When he was but a child, and had mustered up the courage to ask Nergal about his parents, he would always reply that his parents were dead, and that he was a fortunate child to be found by the Black Fang. Jaffar always had doubts about that, and he doubted even to this day.

Nergal had always told him that assassins weren't supposed to "wish". When young Jaffar had spotted a girl praying to the stars, Nergal had told him how pathetic it was. Stars would never grant a wish to anyone. But Jaffar had secretly prayed to the stars for success as an assassin. Nergal never found out.

When Jan was still in the organization, while Jaffar was still a new recruit, Jan had told him that sadness flies away on the wings of time. The old man was kind to Jaffar, while none of the organization approved of him. Even though he knew that it was a pathetic attempt to befriend an assassin, Jaffar couldn't deny the feelings of gratitude at that time. Perhaps it was the time when he most needed someone to talk to.

Now, he didn't need anyone to talk to. He was emotionless. He was a near complete specimen, who was immune to love nor any silly feelings. He was an assassin whose hands were stained with the blood of many, and his hands would get stained even more in the future. He would kill for the Black Fang, and would live out his life as nothing more but an expendable product. That would be his sad life.

Jaffar closed his eyes as the thoughts flooded his mind. What the regular people call "feelings" were starting form in his mind.

He would never be a human to the Black Fang.

* * *

"_Jaffar, sadness flies away on the wings of time," Jan said, winking at Jaffar. When the young boy showed no expression, a chuckle escaped his mouth. "Lad, I guess Miss Sonia wasn't lying when she boasted that you had no emotion."_

_Jaffar remained silent, his scarlet eyes focused onto the floor. His façade hadn't cracked, and hadn't moved a single beat. His eyes darted away from the floor, and onto Jan, who seemed like he was expecting an answer from him. _

"_...What if...the sadness is too heavy for the bird?" he asked quietly, burgundy eyes meeting brown ones. Jaffar again showed no emotion when Jan looked taken back at his question. He knew that Jan expected him to be stupid; that he only knew how to kill. He knew that the organization thought of him as a destructive machine; one that could be programmed to kill. Jaffar wanted to prove that he had logic in himself._

"_Well..." Jan began, hesitating as he took a glance at the piercing glare of the young assassin. "A large bird can carry the weight, can it not?" he laughed weakly at the meek answer. When Jaffar did not look satisfied at the answer, Jan began again. _

"_The bird...is an animal that has a duty. Its duty is to carry the sorrow of people, and ease it through Time so that it would heal the people. That's why it can carry such weight. Whether the sorrow of a person be small or large, the bird will always carry it away from you. _

_My sorrow is pitifully small; I have more happiness than sorrow, Jaffar. It is a great honor, working for the Black Fang. I feel that it is my duty to work for the Black Fang, and I am forever obligated to the organization. As for my past sorrows, the bird has taken it away. My sadness has flown away on the wings of time."_

_Jan took a long look at Jaffar. The young assassin was of lean build, and sported scarlet hair that matched his eyes. His eyes were piercingly alert, and resembled a hawk's. Jaffar's eyesight was great compared to his weak ones. The assassin wore a long cape, which hid most of his body. Jan knew that when a person found out what was hidden beneath the cape, they would tell not a soul, for their life ended as soon as they found out. _

_Jaffar gave him a quick glance before casting his gaze down at the floor again. For a second, Jan thought he saw something in Jaffar's eyes. But it was a second, and his eyesight was weak. Squinting his eyes, Jan tried to get a better look, but Jaffar's eyes were still the piercing hawk eyes. And the burgundy eyes were giving him a look that could easily be mistaken for a glare. Jan decided wisely that he should not stare any longer at the assassin. _

"_Jaffar, your sadness will fly away on the wings of time". Jan gave the assassin a smile. Jaffar did not seem amused nor disappointed. Once again, his expression was monotonous. Sonia had really not lied about the new recruit, Jan thought._

_The assassin left the room quietly, his footsteps both silent and gracefully. Jan gazed at the young man until he became no smaller than a grain, and finally disappeared within the halls. All Jan could assume about Jaffar was that his sorrow was so great that probably the bird wouldn't be able to carry it away. His face was emotionless, but his eyes gave away. For an sliver of a second, Jan thought he saw emotion in the assassin. _

"_Miss Sonia wouldn't lie. He wouldn't have emotion." Jan said to himself, standing up. His mission would take place in just a few hours. He should be up in his room, getting ready. "Or would he?"_

_Ignoring his questioning mind, Jan exited the room. It was a very sunny day, and the sun's warm rays felt good. It reminded him of Nino, who was like the warm sun. She was the sun of Black Fang, the ray which brightened the organization. The Black Fang was different from how it used to be long ago. Yet Nino seemed to represent the Black Fang when it was still an honorable organization. She was a sweet child. Jan would feel no remorse being a Black Fang when around her. She was the bird who flew away with the sadness of Black Fang._

"_Yes, Jaffar...there is no weight that the bird cannot carry... sadness flies away on the wings of time..."_

* * *

A/N: Ugh, I haven't updated in a long time. The quote I used in this chapter, "Sadness flies away on the wings of time", is one of my favorite quotes. I could really imagine a bird carrying away sorrow from a person. In this case, the bird was Nino. This quote would be more relevant in the future chapters.

This chapter is a little longer than usual, just because I had fun writing about Jan and his conversation with Jaffar. I really like writing in italics. I have no idea why.

And to TheOneAndOnlyT, don't mind what I wrote in my reviews. I said something about you having the same dialogue as another story, and I thought you wrote that story as well, but it turns out that you were using some lines from the game. I have never played Fire Emblem before, and I just learned about it because my friend owns the game. And I only saw the part where Nino and Jaffar were escaping together after they didn't kill the prince, so I had no idea about what Jaffar said when he got hurt. There were so many stories that said the same lines so I was really confused. So I'm really, really sorry if it offended you. Sorry!

And to all of you who reviewed, thank you so much!


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